Ever wonder if someone could make an entire movie about a font? Well, someone did. There’s more material to work with than you might think, but maybe half of what they needed to really fill a full 1.5 hours. It’s worth watching though… Might make you think on a whole other level about what you read.
The Great Debaters
A bunch of underprivileged minority kids overcome racism and their own self doubt to triumph in a world that once excluded them (see also: glory road)
Twilight
I just rented this because I wanted to see the filming locations (it was filmed in the northwest US, where I live). Other than that… It was pretty forgettable. They did make Forks, Washington look pretty good though… Because they didn’t actually film this in Forks. Nothing against Forks though – I like Forks, I guess… It’s just not exactly “quaint”. They are making the most of the whole “Twilight Phenomenon” in the actual town of Forks though… Heck, why not? Pretty funny for those of us who know the pre-twilight Forks.
Milk
I’ve always liked well-done period movies. If they do it well, the plot doesn’t even matter much… It could just be about regular people hanging out. But, a good story is like icing. And this one was a delicious desert.
Summer Lovers
The favorite movie of 13 year old boys for a generation. Even at 40, it was fun to watch… For the lovely, um scenery… Of, uh, Greece or something.
Hellboy 2
Hell yes! Strange, I haven’t seen Hellboy 1… And even though I liked #2, don’t feel like I need to see #1… why is that?
Speed Racer
Is it ok if I admit that I sort of liked this? It had style, and echoed the original cartoon really well. I think that most people who saw it weren’t overly familiar with the source material though, and a lot of the movie was lost on them. My only complaint was that it could have been “darker”. They could have taken the source material, and just gotten wicked with it: blood, sex, violence, etc. But, I know that’s not a realistic expectation. The thing is that I think it’d have worked a lot better that way. All the fans of the original are adults now, so why make this into a kids movie? Perhaps that’s where the movie fell short – it was too “grown-up” for kids, and to childish for grown-ups.
Hancock
Mildly entertaining… But just mildly. Mostly, I was thinking, “boy, this is pretty dumb”. They had an interesting premise – superhero with ‘psychological issues’, but had nowhere to go with it. I mean the whole backstory seemed kind of contrived.
Australia
Basically a modern, big-budget “western”, just set in… Australia. Has all the required checklist items.
Coraline
Went to go see this in 3d, but they’d moved it to the 2d theater because some teeny-bopper concert flick had taken over the 3d theater. Dangit. Anyway, even in 2d, it was an entertaining artistic feast. There was lots to like from start to finish, for young to old.
Vickie Cristina Barcelona
I saw this… Then saw Woody Allen’s earlier movies… And I have to say, he’s really matured as a filmmaker. You might think you’ve seen every “young american goes abroad and discovers passion” movie, but this was so much more.
Rare Birds
Run the other way. There is so much wrong with this movie, I hardly know how to put it into words. From the premise (guy fakes a sighting of a rare bird to attract visitors to his remote restaurant) to the characters (beautiful woman inexplicably falls for older man with no redeeming qualities), to the plot details (glow in the dark plastic panels the CIA is after), this movie is a complete mess. How do these movies get financed and made?
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Yes, this was interesting to watch, just for the curiosity factor… How about a movie where someone ages in reverse? Isn’t that interesting? Yes, I suppose… But I’m not sure I really learned much about anything. I don’t need to learn something every time I watch a movie, bit this was one of those movies that had an aura like it was teaching some grand life lesson… But there really wasn’t one that I could discern. I was just left thinking… “hmm… I guess that was interesting”.
Mongol
A detailed study of the early life of Ghengis Khan… Helping to explain how he became who he was. I do wish they’d continued the story a bit into the rest of his life, because though he was a famous person, I think few people have a good understanding of exactly what he did, and how he did it. I was watching this, thinking, “ok, now that I understand where he’s coming from, this is going to get really interesting”… and then it ended. It’s worth watching for the filmography alone, just don’t expect any epic battle scenes of a thousand Mongol horsemen sweeping across the steppes.
Man on Wire
For all those people who are told “no” again and again… But refuse to give up because there is something stronger in their heart telling them “yes” 11 times more… This is your movie. For the rest, let this be a lesson on breaking the rules.
Good Hair
What is the matter with people? Can’t they just love who they are? It is a fascinating look into a subculture I never gave much thought to… But left me scratching my bald head. Hmm… Maybe I should get a weave.
The Cove
Just when you think that people can be despicable, ugly creatures… This movie comes along to prove that you’re right. But, there is room for redemption as well. I just hope that some day the ugliness illuminated by this movie will come to an end. See it.
Food, Inc.
Yuk. I’m never eating food again!
Sideways
Want to see a movie about a couple of pretentious jerks? Sure, they redeem themselves just a touch toward the end… But not much. I never really understood the appeal of movies like this. Just watching people I don’t like remind me why I don’t like them? Why?
The Blind Side
Sure it’s a nice, feel good movie. And sometimes you need a movie like that. Just be advised, there is basically zero tension. So, if you’re looking for some kind of plot twist or crisis… There isn’t one. They do try to add a little drama at the start/end but it’s pretty weak tea.
Annie Hall
Woody Allen finds his footing. The movie does seem to go on and on and on with little point, then abruptly ends. But, I guess that’s like life… And that kind of is the point.
Electric Dreams
I know I saw this… another of those movies that just wasn’t memorable… some kind of computer-romance thing… I think a computer was writing a girl or something, like a cyrano de bergerac (butchered the name – the guy with the long nose) thing???
Ed Wood
Great performance by Johhny Depp. There were many moments in this movie where I didn’t know if I should laugh or cry. Those are precious moments. You just gotta root for Ed!
Edward Scissorhands
Chop chop! A film that everybody can kind-of like. Winona Ryder in her heyday… Johnny Depp doing his thing… Tim Burton doing his thing…
EdTV
This is the movie that the Truman Show wished it was.